Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-10
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1t may now be interesting 10 give our
readers n description, in outline, Of the
process of pipe manufacture as followed
out at the Riverside, taking q sheet of steel
as it comes from the plate mill and accom-,
panying it in its devious wanderings until
it is finally dumped on the shipping wharf,
a finished piece of gas pipe, but before do
ing this, something may be said OF
the great success the Company has
achieved in turning out, at the very COM
mencement of its career, 4 commodity
which many manufacturers of much more
experience in the business have vainly
struggled with for years. The idea OF
manufacturing steel pipe is not new.
Many owners of pipe mills have wrcstled
with the problem. and have successfully
been obliged to abandon the idea. Mr..
Hearne was convinced that the thing could
be done, and be set himself resolutely to
bring about the desired result. His efforts
and desires were in~telligently backed up
by superintendent Bray, and while the
plant vas ut FIRST put npOn the ordinary
wrought iron pipe OF commerce, expert
mentS were constantly going on 10 force
the steel question 10 4 successful issue
And success was achieved, despite the
predictions Of pipe men all over the coun-
try that the thing was an impossibility,
and that failure only waited the infant
20 the REGISTER:
81 knew tat cteel pipe WAS bound to
come in the near future. 1T was the birth
of the steel nail over again. Long before
the first steel nail was made, l saw that
TIE iron nail WAS doomed, and unless some
thing was done by Wheeling to meet the
improvement, rival manufacturers in other
towns would take the step, and the result
would be that the long prestage which
Wheeling had enjoyed in nails would
vanish. The steel nail was a success, and
Wheeling nails remained at the top, and |
determined upon sticking to steel in the
matter OF pipe. knew that we were
content to make iron pipe, aud would
build our works for that class of stun, we
would he surprised before long by the an
nouncement that some of our rivals had hit
upon the often sought method of making
steel pipe, and then the Riverside would be
az the al end of the procession, wanted
to De III tbs neat, and we are there.
Wheeling pipe is the best pipe made, and
our position is secure. Those who can,
may follow u.s."
At present the manufacture of iron pipe
has Lesl aptiTely discontinued. Any size
Of steel pipe up " eight INCHES in diameter
can he turned out, and the superintendent
is proud of the record, and he deserves TO be,
as some figures the REGISTER took from
the record will show:
Ggt Of one lot of l9l, 929 pounds of steel
skelp, tbets ~S Bnt 5,37S pounds OF
waste. That amORnt OF steel MAGE 1884
twenty-foot lengths OF one and a quarter
inch pipe, with only SIS spliced pipe
''leakeN' they are called-in the lot.
Out of another run of 94S lengths of pipe
there were but two ''leskers," and ont OF
a tn.rS Latch of 4, 1852 lengths of pipe there
were but 80 "ieaKe.s.' r. other words,
the percentage of defective weidS in tbs
steel is exceedingly small, and furnishes
proof positive that the methods pursued in
the manufacture of the pipe is as good as
the Ge2t ip the rival iron pipe establish
ments of Pittsbuss aIG elsewhere.